The Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Campaign came to a close Dec. 24, with Capt. Jason Perdieu saying that not only did they meet their goal, “we went above and beyond.”
The Red Kettle Campaign is the Salvation Army’s annual fundraiser that includes volunteers ringing a bell in front of stores, giving shoppers the opportunity to drop money into the red kettles.
“I’ve never seen a community come together to help a cause in such a short time the way [El Dorado] did,” Perdieu said about the fundraiser. “It was magical.”
The campaign is the Salvation Army’s largest fundraiser of the year, with proceeds going towards the programs they provide year-round. All donations made in El Dorado stayed local.
This year, the national campaign for the fundraiser was Fight For Good, which Perdieu said is exactly what El Dorado did during the four weeks the campaign took place.
“El Dorado came out to fight,” Perdieu said. “There’s no way the Red Kettle Campaign would have been successful if it wasn’t for El Dorado.”
When asked by a News-Times reporter what the total amount raised was, Perdieu said he was unable to provide hard numbers due to organization policy.
Unlike previous years, Perdieu said they solely used volunteers to ring the bell, wherein the past, some individuals were paid to ring the bell.
“The difference that it makes is a lot of people, by volunteering, got an education and a firsthand experience to see pretty much all of the different programs and services that the Salvation Army provides,” Perdieu said. “El Dorado ultimately won because there was a sense of families wanting to bring their children to educate them on the importance of giving back and why it was important to collect these necessary funds.”
The campaign was kicked off during the Downtown Lighting Ceremony on Nov. 15 and lasted until Dec. 24.
Perdieu said that the rain did affect their abilities to ring the bell in some locations and that they lost countless hours this season, “But God, being who he is, provided.”
Perdieu said he got emotional thinking about some of the stories he heard from families who were ringing the bell.
“I actually get teary-eyed thinking about some of the stories from some of the parents who have been helped by the Salvation Army in the past, who are now in a position to give back and volunteer,” he said. “In the Fight For Good, El Dorado scored a knockout.”
Kaitlyn Rigdon can be reached at 870-862-6611 or krigdon@ eldoradonews.com.